9 Days Luxury North Serengeti Mara River Crossing Migration Safari

Arusha to Tarangire National Park

After breakfast, depart for Tarangire National Park, famous for its vast elephant herds and ancient baobab trees. Enjoy a luxury picnic lunch before an afternoon game drive, where you might spot lions, giraffes, and leopards. As the sun sets, head to an exclusive lodge within the park, where you will unwind with a delicious dinner while listening to the distant calls of the wild.

Lake Manyara / Mto wa Mbu to Serengeti National Park

After breakfast, we depart for Serengeti National Park, passing near the Ngorongoro Crater rim, where you might spot wildlife. Serengeti — Tanzania’s oldest and most visited park — is a UNESCO site and one of the Seven Wonders of the World, famous for its annual migration and rich wildlife.

Enjoy a picnic lunch on a kopje before continuing the game drive deep into the park. Later, we proceed to the lodge and a delicious meal to end the day.

Full Day Game Drive in Central Serengeti National Park

After breakfast, continue exploring Serengeti’s vast plains, home to diverse wildlife and hundreds of bird species. The park’s breathtaking beauty unfolds as you witness lions, leopards, cheetahs, elephants, and buffalo up close. Experience the awe-inspiring Great Migration of wildebeest and zebra, braving predators for survival.

Spot other fascinating creatures like giraffes, hyenas, crocodiles, and hippos. Birdwatchers will enjoy the rich avian life. End the day with a delicious dinner under the starlit sky.

Central Serengeti – North Serengeti (Kogatende)

After breakfast, we’ll start our game drive to the Kogatende area, searching around the kopjes for carnivores and the large migration groups preparing to cross the Mara River into Kenya. Home to large numbers of hippos and Nile crocodiles, the Mara River is the last major obstacle standing between the wildebeest migration and the relative safety of the Maasai Mara.

If you’re patient and a little lucky, you may even get to witness the death-defying crossing itself, where wildebeest and zebras brave the river’s currents and crocodiles in an attempt to reach safety. Dinner and overnight in North Serengeti.

Full Day Game Drive in North Serengeti (Kogatende)

After breakfast, continue our game drive in the Kogatende and Bologonja area with much focus on the Great Migration. Enjoy a picnic lunch under an acacia tree with a spectacular view of the Great Migration and the mountain ranges of the Maasai Mara.

If we are lucky, we might see the Crossing of the Great Migration passing through the Mara River to the Maasai Mara — an event one should never miss. Later in the afternoon, we will drive back to the luxury lodge for a nice dinner and a comfortable overnight.

Serengeti National Park – Ngorongoro Conservation Area

After breakfast, we get right on the road back towards the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Our drive takes us back through the Serengeti via a different route, offering plenty of opportunities to spot the animals that eluded you earlier. As far as the eye can see, you’ll spot thousands upon thousands of animals in herds; wildebeests and zebras migrating together, tall and graceful giraffes, jumping antelopes and gazelles, the powerful African elephant, and the most respected group of animals: the predators.

You will have the chance to spot lean cheetahs and shy leopards, foraging hyenas, and last but not least, the king himself — the lion. Dinner and overnight on the rim of the Ngorongoro.

Ngorongoro Crater to Lake Manyara / Mto wa Mbu

After an early breakfast, we head to the Ngorongoro Crater — the best time to spot wildlife. A game drive around the crater offers chances to see ‘The Big 5’ — lion, elephant, leopard, rhino, and buffalo. Enjoy a picnic by a hippo-filled lake, surrounded by migratory birds.

Formed over two million years ago, the crater is home to zebras, wildebeest, hyenas, and flamingos along the Soda Lake. Hawks and vultures circle above, while storks, ibis, and cranes add to the beauty. After a thrilling day, we return to Manyara for an overnight stay.

Lake Eyasi back to Mto wa Mbu / Lake Manyara

In the early morning, your guide will take you on a cultural tour with the Hadza community, a tribe of hunters and gatherers. Once inhabitants of the Serengeti, they now live in traditional ways, hunting game like dik-diks and collecting honey. Their simple huts are built quickly and easily abandoned. The Hadza speak a click language, similar to the San tribe of the Kalahari.

After experiencing their unique lifestyle, we will return to Mto wa Mbu for an overnight stay, concluding the cultural adventure.

Lake Manyara National Park to Arusha

In the morning, we will depart to Lake Manyara National Park where we will spend the day and enjoy a delectable picnic lunch. The park is nestled at the base of the rusty-gold Great Rift Valley escarpment, and the scenic landscape is breathtakingly magnificent. An abundance of species is able to reside in the park due to the wide range of habitats.

The park’s record consists of over 380 species of birds, some of which are migratory, making it the ideal location for bird watchers. Thousands of pink-hued flamingos occupy the margin of the lake; other large water birds include pelicans, storks, and cormorants. The wildlife you can expect to see includes buffalo, elephants, giraffe, impalas, and the ferocious hippos that inhabit the water. Late afternoon, you will proceed back to Arusha.